Growing diversity: Number of English language learners rises in Cape, Islands schools

To understand the demographic changes taking place on Cape Cod look no further than the public schools.

Four years ago, English was not the first language for 19.8% of the students in the Barnstable Public School district. In the 2022-23 school year, that number jumped to 33.4% of the 4,838 students attending the district's nine schools.

Over the last couple of years, Cape Cod public schools have been enrolling a growing number of multilingual students, according to data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Though the change is more evident in some districts than others among the 11 public school districts, Barnstable, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket public schools have the highest numbers of multilingual students.

“The diversity that we are experiencing in our schools represents the world,” said Barnstable Schools Superintendent Sara Ahern. “We have so many languages and countries represented, all students benefit from the diverse experiences, learning from different cultures enriches everyone and it is going to help build skills that they'll need for their future.”

Ahern said the changing demographic is welcome.

“We live in a very interdependent and interconnected society, so the diversity we have is a strength,” she said.

State Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, agrees.

Diversity on Cape Cod is 'one of the few silver linings,' says Cyr

"It's reflective of the changing landscape of our workforce, as Cape Cod has become more unaffordable for people to live here," said Cyr. "We've become more dependent on seasonal workers who come here through various visa programs; they can legally stay, get green cards, and build lives with their families. The diversification of Cape Cod is probably one of the few silver linings in what's been an otherwise pretty dire narrative."

Embracing diversity also means focusing on inclusion in the educational system. Each public school district on the Cape and Islands has a specific curriculum and various English Language Learning (ELL) programs in place, to help multilingual learners gain proficiency in English.

“We are very proud of our diverse population. We respect their bilingualism, their cultures and we are dedicated to supporting them to learn English so they can be successful in this country, but we do so along with honoring their identities,” said Carina Da Silva, director of the program for multilingual learners in Barnstable public schools.

Outer Cape has a lower percentage of multilingual students compared to Mid-Cape and Islands

In Bourne, students whose first language is not English make up 2.5% of the enrollment. Truro has a 1% rate. Wellfleet doesn't have any multilingual students in their public school system, according to the state data.

In nearby Provincetown, 21.1% of the K-8 student population of 142 are multilingual. Orleans and Nauset have 9% and 7%, respectively.

According to Gerry Goyette, Provincetown schools superintendent, in his district Spanish is the most common language for bilingual students, along with Jamaican Creole.

“Provincetown Schools is one of the most diverse (districts) on the Cape,” said Goyette. Provincetown's K-8 enrollment is the smallest on the Cape.

According to the state numbers, 9.7% of Falmouth's students are non-native English speakers. Mashpee has a 12% rate and Sandwich has a 3.1% rate for students whose first language is not English.

Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District has a total number of 2,857 students enrolled this year in its six public schools, for nearly 23% of them English is not their first language.

Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket have a larger, more diverse population

Among all public school districts in the region, Nantucket has the highest percentage of students whose first language is not English, 46.5%. The total number of students enrolled in its four public schools this year is 1,712.

“Our demographic right now is mostly Spanish-speaking students, but we also have a significant number of students from Brazil,” said Elizabeth Hallett, Nantucket schools superintendent. “We also get a smattering of languages from different cultures and different countries from Eastern Europe, China, Thailand, Nepal. Our Hispanic population is from Central and South America.”

In the 2022-23 academic year, on Martha’s Vineyard, at the Edgartown school, 40.8% of students are non-native English speakers. In Oak Bluffs, that number is 33%. In Tisbury, the number is 56.6%.

Across the island's schools there are currently over 430 English learners, with 94% of the students having Portuguese as their native language, said Leah Palmer, ELL Director for PreK-Adult for Martha's Vineyard Public Schools.

According to Palmer, in 2016, Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools had 210 English learners and last year, the number came in at 428.

"We have a growing number of multilingual students within our school system and it is such an amazing asset for the island community,” Palmer said.

On Martha’s Vineyard, the most common languages for multilingual learners are Portuguese and Spanish.

"The diversity we see across the region is reflected in our workforce, and our schools tell the most honest story about what the composition of our communities are like," Cyr said.

Each school district has its own state-approved ELL programs

On Martha’s Vineyard, there are separate ELL programs at Edgartown School, Tisbury School, West Tisbury School, Oak Bluffs Elementary School and Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and each school has its own ELL budget, ELL teachers, along with interpreter ESP (English for specific purposes) teaching assistants. Chilmark Elementary School doesn't have an ELL program.

The interpreter ESPs are multilingual teaching assistants who work as liaisons with families. The ESPs go into classes to support students and also help keep connections between schools and families.

According to Barnstable's Silva, her district has been hiring a lot more ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers to accommodate the need and there are many open positions still available.

“We are always looking for more ESL teachers and welcome opportunities to bring people into the district and help them grow as educators because we definitely have a need for more teachers to support our growing population,” Ahern said.

Barnstable also has a Seal of Biliteracy program in place to encourage multilingual students. The State Seal of Biliteracy is an award provided by state-approved districts to recognize high school graduates for their proficiency in English and another world language or languages.

Multilingual learners are achieving proficiency more than ever, but there are still challenges

The Barnstable district had 45 English learners complete the program this year. According to Silva, that is a high number and students typically complete the program within three years of starting.

To participate in the ELL program, students are usually removed from other classes during the day, which can create problems such as students falling behind in the classes they miss.

This summer, the Martha's Vineyard district provided training for ESL teachers to be co-teachers with other content teachers.

“Instead of pulling students out of their core content, we are bringing the ESL teachers into a collaborative model of co-teaching,” said Palmer.

“We're moving to a much more inclusive way and we're hoping that there's a better understanding and collaboration between our native English speakers and our multilingual learners.”

According to Palmer, multilingual learners face many challenges and often work full time, along with their school schedule. Though the students are making significant progress, there’s still a lot more to do.

In Nantucket public schools, a lot of the multilingual students are also working full time, or in various ways contributing to the family economy, which provides a greater challenge for them to attain proficiency in English.

“A lot of the students are working after school and don’t have much time for studies and we have to meet them where they are,” said Hallett. “We have to do everything we can to make sure that they are getting the best education possible, even if it's challenging for them to actually graduate.”

According to Hallett, despite the challenges, most ELL students on Nantucket graduate.

Students can stay in the ELL program until they are 22, which allows them to complete all their classes and graduate with a certificate of participation.

For the students who enter school in kindergarten, first or second grade, it’s usually easier to learn English for them as they have a higher linguistic ability than students in middle schools and high schools, said Hallett.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story contained an incorrect quote from state Sen. Julian Cyr, and incorrectly labeled what is a Martha's Vineyard school district ESL teacher training program.

Rasheek Tabassum Mujib writes about health care and education. Reach her at rmujib@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: There are more ESL students in Cape Cod schools. Here's what it means.